SpeakUp Linux Backdoor targets Linux servers in East Asia and LATAM.
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2010-1871 | Remote Code Execution via EL Injection in Red Hat JBoss Seam 2 (JBoss EAP 4.3.0) JBoss Seam 2 (jboss-seam2), as used in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 4.3.0 for Red Hat Linux, is vulnerable to remote code execution caused by an input validation flaw (CWE-20) in its processing of Expression Language (EL) expressions. A remote attacker triggers the flaw by sending crafted input containing EL expressions that the Seam framework evaluates without sufficient validation; exploitation succeeds only when the Java Security Manager is not properly configured, which is the typical default. Successful exploitation lets the attacker run arbitrary code with the privileges of the JBoss server process, providing a foothold on the host and access to any back-end systems the application server can reach. Organizations still running legacy Red Hat JBoss EAP 4.3.0 / Seam 2 deployments, particularly internet-facing ones, are in scope, and the flaw is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, obliging U.S. federal agencies to apply vendor updates. It was added to KEV on 2021-12-10, confirming in-the-wild exploitation (ransomware use unknown); it carries a very high EPSS of 83.4% (100th percentile) and no public proof-of-concept is known. Do: Apply Red Hat's patched jboss-seam2 update for JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 4.3.0 per vendor instructions (RHSA-2010:0574); where immediate patching is not possible, properly configure the Java Security Manager for the JBoss JVM — the flaw is only exploitable when it is not properly configured — and restrict untrusted EL input and internet exposure of Seam-based applications. Inventory legacy JBoss EAP 4.x/Seam 2 hosts, prioritize internet-facing Linux servers given active Linux-targeting threats such as the SpeakUp backdoor, and check those hosts for signs of compromise. Remediation is required for U.S. federal agencies under CISA's KEV requirement (listed 2021-12-10). | — | 83% | KEV |
| largeon the order of tens of thousands of legacy JBoss EAP 4.x / Seam 2 deployments worldwide, with the internet-exposed subset likely in the thousands (exact count… | |
| CVE-2016-3088 | Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload Leading to RCE in Apache ActiveMQ Fileserver CVE-2016-3088 is an improper input-validation flaw (CWE-434) in the Fileserver web application bundled with Apache ActiveMQ 5.x, which lets anyone upload files to the broker without authenticating. An attacker triggers it by sending an HTTP PUT request that uploads an attacker-controlled file (typically a crafted JSP) and then an HTTP MOVE request that relocates that file into a directory served by the embedded web console, where the Jetty web container executes it. This yields unauthenticated remote code execution with the privileges of the ActiveMQ process (CVSS 3.1: 9.8 critical, network-vector, no privileges or user interaction required). Any deployment of ActiveMQ 5.x prior to 5.14.0 is affected, and internet-exposed brokers are the most directly at risk. The flaw is actively exploited: it is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-02-10), has a public PoC on Exploit-DB, a 98.5% EPSS score, and has been used by real-world malware such as the XBash ransomware/miner and the Pro-Ocean crypto-mining campaign. Do: Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.14.0 or later, ideally a current supported release per vendor instructions. If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable or remove the Fileserver web application or restrict network access to the embedded Jetty web console (default TCP 8161) so it is not internet-exposed. Check web-access logs for suspicious HTTP PUT/MOVE requests against /fileserver/ and for unexpected JSP or script files in the web console directories, which would indicate prior compromise. | 9.8 | 99% | KEV PoC |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed ActiveMQ brokers (public scans index on the order of 10,000-100,000 exposed instances) | |
| CVE-2017-10271 | Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in Oracle WebLogic Server Oracle WebLogic Server (CVE-2017-10271) contains a remote code execution flaw in its WLS Security component, where an XMLDecoder deserialization bug allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code. The flaw is triggered by sending specially crafted XML requests to exposed WebLogic HTTP endpoints, so any instance whose WebLogic ports are reachable by untrusted users is at risk. Successful exploitation yields arbitrary code execution on the application server host, and the bug has been widely leveraged to install cryptominers and ransomware payloads. Organizations running Oracle WebLogic Server — particularly instances directly exposed to the internet — are affected, and the flaw has been on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog since 2022-02-10 with confirmed ransomware use. Exploitation is assessed as essentially certain in the near term (EPSS 100.0%, 100th percentile), and defenders should treat it as an actively exploited, high-priority issue. Do: Apply Oracle's updates for CVE-2017-10271 per Oracle's instructions (the vendor's required action for this KEV entry). Until patched, restrict network access to WebLogic HTTP/admin ports from untrusted networks and limit or remove access to the XML/WSAT endpoints used for exploitation. Because ransomware operators are known to exploit this flaw, review internet-exposed WebLogic instances for signs of compromise, such as unexpected processes, new scheduled tasks, webshells, or ransomware artifacts. | 7.5 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×3 |
| large≈tens of thousands of internet-exposed WebLogic Server instances (total deployed install base likely higher, including internal-only servers) | |
| CVE-2018-20062 | Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in ThinkPHP-based noneCms 1.3 NoneCms V1.3, an open-source Chinese CMS built on the ThinkPHP 5.0.x framework, is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution through the framework's URL dispatcher in thinkphp/library/think/App.php. Because the framework's 's' routing parameter can invoke arbitrary framework classes and methods, an attacker can pass a crafted 'filter' value (e.g., s=index/\think\Request/input&filter=phpinfo&data=1) that is applied to the 'data' argument as a callable, executing attacker-chosen PHP functions or code. Successful exploitation gives full code execution on the web server under the application's privileges, enabling web shells, botnet implants, and ransomware staging without any credentials or user interaction. Any internet-facing deployment of noneCms V1.3 — and, more broadly, applications running the affected ThinkPHP 5.0.x framework (the public PoC references 5.0.23) — is exposed. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), EPSS assigns a 99.5% probability of exploitation within 30 days, and headlines note botnets such as Enemybot and Chinese threat actors chaining ThinkPHP RCEs against CMS servers. Do: Apply updates per vendor instructions: upgrade noneCms to the latest release and update the bundled ThinkPHP 5.0.x framework to a patched build. Inspect web server and WAF logs for requests using the s=index/\think\Request/input&filter=... pattern and other ThinkPHP route-invocation payloads, and hunt for web shells or post-exploitation artifacts. Until patched, block or strictly validate the 's' and 'filter' query parameters at a WAF/reverse proxy and limit internet exposure of the application. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV PoC ×2 |
| nicheunknown exact count; plausibly on the order of hundreds to a few thousand self-hosted sites, with at least some internet-exposed instances | |
| CVE-2018-2894 | Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: WLS - Web Services). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.3.0, 12.2.1.2 and 12.2.1.3. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle WebLogic Server. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 9.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). NVD description · AI analysis pending | 9.8 | 50% |
| — |
Full article468 words · extracted from securityaffairs.com · click to collapse
Pierluigi Paganini
February 05, 2019

Security experts at Check Point discovered a new backdoor dubbed
‘SpeakUp’ targeting Linux servers in East Asia and Latin America.
Malware researchers at Check Point have spotted a new Linux backdoor dubbed ‘SpeakUp’ targeting servers in East Asia and Latin America,

The SpeakUp backdoor leverages known vulnerabilities in six different Linux distros, it is also able to infect Mac systems. The Trojan spread by exploiting remote code execution flaw and for the initial infection hackers leverage recently disclosed flaw in ThinkPHP (CVE-2018-20062).
Researchers linked the author of the SpeakUp backdoor with the malware developer that goes online with the moniker of Zettabithf.
Most of the infected machines are in China, the same country where was spotted the sample analyzed by Check Point on January 14, 2019.
“The sample we analyzed was observed targeting a machine in China on January 14, 2019 and was first submitted to VirusTotal on January 9 2019. At the time of writing this article, it has no detections in VT.” reads the analysis published by the experts.
Once infected the system, the backdoor connects to the command and control (C&C) server to register the machine, it gains by using cron and an internal mutex, in this way only one instance remains alive at all times.
The backdoor supports the following commands:
- newtask – to execute arbitrary code, download and execute a file, kill or uninstall a program, and send updated fingerprint data;
- notask – sleep for 3 seconds and ask for additional command;
- newerconfig – to update the downloaded miner configuration file.
The backdoor uses a python script to scan and infect other Linux servers within internal and external subnets, it is also able to carry out brute-force admin panels.
The script attempts to exploit the following RCE vulnerabilities in the targeted servers:
- CVE-2012-0874: JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Multiple Security Bypass Vulnerabilities
- CVE-2010-1871: JBoss Seam Framework remote code execution
- JBoss AS 3/4/5/6: Remote Command Execution (exploit)
- CVE-2017-10271: Oracle WebLogic wls–wsat Component Deserialization RCE
- CVE-2018-2894: Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server component of Oracle Fusion Middleware.
- Hadoop YARN ResourceManager – Command Execution (exploit)
- CVE-2016-3088: Apache ActiveMQ Fileserver File Upload Remote Code Execution Vulnerability.
Further researches made by the experts allowed the experts to find liteHTTP GitHub project that has some modules similar to the SpeakUp Trojan.
“SpeakUp`s obfuscated payloads and propagation technique is beyond any doubt the work of a bigger threat in the making. It is hard to imagine anyone would build such a compound array of payloads just to deploy few miners.” Check Point concludes.
“The threat actor behind this campaign can at any given time deploy additional payloads, potentially more intrusive and offensive,”
| [adrotate banner=”9″] | [adrotate banner=”12″] |
(SecurityAffairs – SpeakUp, backdoor)
[adrotate banner=”5″] [adrotate banner=”13″]
Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://securityaffairs.com/80706/malware/speakup-backdoor.html